Refrigeration apparatus



oct. s, 1939. C. L. mus 2,114,584

REFRIGERATION APPARATUS ATTORNEY.

Oct. 3, 1939. c. l.. mus 2,174,584'

REFRIGERA'VIION APPARATUS Filed March 10, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F1IS E INVENTOR C/f//a/d l /mL/ ATTORNEY.

Patented oei. 3, wasy UNITED --sTATEs PATENT OFFICE nEFmGEnATToN APPARATUS i oimorar.. Imus, san Francisco, Calif. Application March 10, 1937, Serial No. 129,915

Claims.

My invention relates to a means for space cooling, and is concerned particularly with a means for reducing the temperature of enclosures of various types by reducing the tempera- 5 ture of the air therein.

Anobjectof my invention is .to provide means for reducing the temperature of air. i

- A further object of my invention is to provide mechanism which iscomposed of generally l0 standard units, for efficiently extracting heat from a body of fluid such as air.

An additional object of my invention is to provide means for controlling thereduction of heat F18. 2 is on the left half a side elevation of the expansion unit included in the assembly of Fig. 1, and on the right half a cross-section on a median plane ofthe expansion unit; and

Fig. 3 is a cross-section the plane of which is indicated bythe lines 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In its preferred form, the refrigeration ap- Daratus of my invention incorporates the compression of air to a superatmospheric pressure and cooling the air, while` compressed, to

substantially the temperaturey of the atmos-l phere, and then expanding the compressed and cooled air substantially' to atmospheric pressure while it does external work in order that further heat may be extracted from the expanding air and the temperature thereof will be reduced considerably below that of the general atmosphere.

Although the lapparatus of myA invention is adaptable to numerous different environments and can be varied within wide limits to obtain the results desired, I preferably Ainclude the apparatus inV an assembly such as shown-in Fig.- 1, which is effective to carry out my invention.

In this arrangement, a motor 6, which is any suitable source ofr power, such as an electric,v

motor or an internal or external combustion engine, through a suitable shaft 1l and a coupling 3 rotates an air compresser 3 preferably of the displacement or piston type, although a centrifugal or rotary blower can alternatively ,be used. I preferl the displacement type,fhowever, since the pressure gain is higher. 'Ihe compressor 9 preferably derives its working fluid from the atmosphere through an intake il controlled by a. I5 'three-way cock I2 leading to the inlet` I3 of the compressor. 'I'he compressed fluid is discharged through the outlet I4 of the compressor, having had its pressure increased considerably and, correspondingly, having a-temperature considerably higher than that of the atmosphere. 8

From the outlet I4 the compressed and heated fluid travels through a conduit I6 to cooling coils I1 of any customary character, preferably ar f ranged so that the uid flows therethrough in series from the bottom of the first unit i3 through 10 a duct I9 to the top of the second unit 2i, and from the bottom of the second unit 2| through a duct 22 to the top of the third unit 23, and so on. The air which is passed through the compressor and is travelling in the duct I6 hasa temperature l5 elevated suillciently so that there is a certain sterilizing action upon the air, and hence the condensers I8, 2| and 23 are preferably maintained air-tight or closed so that the fluid therein does not come into contact with any contamina- 20 tion. Inthe condenser I8 the contained air is reduced materially in temperature, although the pressure drop is inconsequential; but, due' to the reduction in temperature in passing through the condensers, the air is separated from a large 25 part of its contained water vapor, which is discharged through a manifold 24 leading to a suitable drain 26, the run-on from which ls sufiicient to maintain the .condenser I 8 substantially free from released water. 30

From the condensing unit 23, the air, which still is at superatmospheric pressure, is substantially at atmospheric temperature and is discharged through an outlet pipe 21 and a suitable This 35 expansion unit is preferably of the type illusregulator 28, into an expansion unit 23.

' the' operation f`the engine by eccentric rods 31 attached thereto. AnA inlet port 33 and an outlet port 33 in each sleeve register with suitable inlet 45 conduits 4I and exhaust ducts l2, to'affo'rd a suitable control of pressure fluid.

In the operation of the expansion unit, the incoming fluid from the duct 4i is admitted to exert its pressureupon the piston 33, and drives w the piston downwardly to rotate the crank shaft 32, thereby doing useful work and reducing the temperature of the fluid passing through the expansion unit in accompaniment to the reduction in pressure thereof. Preferably, the cut-0H and u expansion characteristics of the unit 29 are such that the fluid from the inlet pipe 4I is reduced to substantially atmospheric pressure when it passes into, the exhaust duct 42, but its temperature, due to the fact' that it gives up a great deal of heat in doing useful work in rotating the crank shaft 32, is considerably below that of the atmosphere. In actual operation, the temperature usually extends down to 15 to 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit at the exhaust duct 42.

The work done by the rotating crank shaft 32 can be usefully utilized, for example, through an overrunning clutch connection 43 to the motor 6 so that the compressor 9 is partially driven by the work of the expanding air going through the expansion mechanism 29. Alternatively, the expansion unit 29 by a shaft 46 may drive a secondary compressor 41 deriving atmospheric air through an inlet 48 and delivering the compressed and heated atmospheric air through an outlet 49 into an intermediate one of the condenser units, for example the condenser unit 2l. The fluid, which is substantially at atmospheric pressure and is considerably below atmospheric temperature, discharged throughthe duct 42, is preferably introduced into the lower portion 5| of a compartment 52 within which refrigeration is to be effected. The relatively cold air being pumped in through the inlet 42 gradually displaces the warmer air above it which 'finally is released to the atmosphere through a springloaded trap 53 in accordance with the adjustment thereof, or is discharged for closed-cycle operation through a return duct 54 leading from the top of the compartment 52 to the three-way valve I2 adjacent the inlet I3 of the'compressor, so that the same body of air can be recycled substantially continuously, or there can be a. mixture of fresh atmospheric air and recycled air going into the compressor 9.

It will be appreciated that the atmospheric air is heated and sterilized in the compressor 9, and

is cooled without great pressure loss within the condensers wherein the liquid content is discharged through the drain 26 so that the air is substantially entirely dehumidified; that the high pressure but low temperature air from the condenser is expanded in the expansion unit 29 so that its pressure is reduced to substantially that of the atmosphere and its temperature is further reduced since heat is extracted to do useful work in assisting in driving the motor 6 or in driving a comparable compressor 41; and that, finally, the refrigerated air positively displaces air within a compartment to be cooled and is then and means including a clutch effective only when said expanding means tends to run faster than said compressing means for coupling said expanding means and said compressing means.

3. A refrigeration apparatus comprising means for compressing atmospheric air, means for cooling said compressed air, controllable means for expanding said cooled compressed air substantially to atmospheric pressure and extracting work therefrom, means including a clutch effective only when said expanding means tends to run faster thanI said compressing means for couping said expanding means and said compressing means, and means for recycling said expanded air.

4. A refrigeration apparatus comprising means v for compressing air, means for driving said compressing means, means for cooling said compressed air, an expansion device driven by said cooled compressed air, and means including a clutch effective only when said expansion device tends to run faster than said compressing means for coupling said expansion device to said compressing means to assist'in driving said compressing means.

5. A refrigeration apparatus comprising a compartment, means for compressing air, means for cooling said compressed lair, an expansion device driven by said cooled compressed air, means for regulating the ow of said air to said expansion device, means including a clutch effective only when said expansion device tends to run faster than said compressing means for coupling said expansion device to said compressing means, means for conducting air discharged by said expansion device to said compartment, and means for conducting air from said compartment to said compressing means.

CLIFFORD L. IMUS. 

